Coal loader



web. 17, .1925. Y F. w; BYRNE COAL LOADER Filed sept. 27.' v1.921

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'T' sheetssheet 1 /A/VE/vrofr F. W. B YRN E ifi.

A TTR/VEYS F. W. BYRNE COAL LOADER Feb. 17. 1925. y i 1,526,830l

Filed Sept. 27,. 1921 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 F. W. BYRNE COAL LOADER Feb. 17. 192s;i

F. W..BYRNE COAL LOADER l Feb. .17. 1925.

M/TNESSES Patented. Feb-17, 1925.-

PATENT OFFICE.

i FRaNcrs w. BvR-Nn, or ooNNnLLsvILLE, PENNSYIVANIA.

COAL LOADER.

Application n led September 27, 1921. SerialeNo. 503,539.

y Tonall whom t concern'. i u

invented certain new and `useful Improve- Be it known that I, FRANCIS W. BYRNE,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of -Connellsville, in the county of Fayette and IState of Pennsylvania, have ments` in Goal. Loaders, of which the following is specification.

`My invention relates to improvements in loaders, more especially fortlte purpose of loading newly loosened coal in a mine on'av car, and it consists in the constructions,

combinations' and vmode of operation herein described and claimed.

One of the foremost objects of the inven- "tionlis to provide a mechanical shovel which stroke, onto an arrangement of belts which conveythe material to a car.

A further object of the invention is to provide means by which the shovel may be projected as far as desired, raised, lowered, or returned when desired, extended into corners, and in fact manipulate the shovel in Vany manner to meet any. particular conditions likely to occur in a loading operation.-A

` Other objects and advantages will appear in lthe following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which 1- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section '(parts in elevation) of the. preferred form 'of loader,

Figure 2 is aside elevation (part-s in section) of the first modification of the mechanical shovel, i

Figure?) is a plan view of the arrangement in Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a detail side elevation (somewhat-enlarged) showing the shovel in Fig. `2 in the' `dumping position,

Figure "5 is a detail section taken substantiallyon the line 5 5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Figure 7 is a front elevation of the loader, the longitudinal conveyor being Shown in section for the purpose of illustrating its construction,

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Figure 2, the

shovel-operating motor beingV shown in elevation,

Figure 9 is a detail cross section taken on the line 9-'-9 of Figure 2, l

Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the relationship of the loading machine to. a

train of cars when in operation in the lead of amine,

lFigure 1 1 is adetail cross section on the f line 11-11 of Figure. 1, and l Figure 12 is a longitudinal section of a second modification .of the loader, wherein the shovel is operated pneumatically. Attention is directed to Figure 1 which illustrates one form of the coal loader. The loader is primarily intended to be-used in a coal mine, although it mayjobviously be used for shoveling any kind of solid material.

. The track 1 is laid in kthe lead 2 of a mine' (Figs. 2 and 10) and extended inwardly or forwardly as the length of the lead increases by loosening and removing the coal at the head. The wheels 3 of the truck 4C' run on the track and' the truck, which is the foundation on whichithe loader is built,

maybe moved int-o position on the track,

either by means of its own motive power or it may be pushed into place and there fixed by suitable'brake means.'4

A turntable 5 has sides 6 terminating in bearings for supporting the trunnions 7 of 85 the carriage 8. The latter carries the compound shovel bea-m, composed of the members 9 and 10, respectively with racks 11 and' 12 on. the under side.

The upper beam, which is the longest of the two members, ends in the bifuncated head 13'in which the shovel 14 is mounted on trunnions 15. Gears 16 and 17 mesh with the racks 11 and 12. The first gear is of a greater diameter than the second. The 95 (which result of revolving the shaft 18 carries the gears mentioned) through the gear train 19, 20, 21 and 22, is to project the long vbeam 9 faster than the short beam l0,

thus gaining the advantages of speed of shovel projection and length ofprojection without sagging of the compound beam, for it is to be observed that the lower beam serves as a support for the upper beam.

A rheostat 23 controls the motor 24 which 105 carries the pinion 19 of the gear train ment tioned above. Current is furnished by the generator vG. 'The direction of rotation of the motor shaft is controlled by the reversing within prescribed limits.

tion, the motor shaft is made to turn in a counter clockwise direction and thus project the shovel 14 into the load. Conversely,

when the' switch is reversed to causethe ing the load to discharge onto the cross conlveyor (Fig 4). The cross conveyor car- `ries the coal to the longitudinal conveyor 31,

which in turn carries it rearwardly .to discharge in any one of the train of cars 32 as shown in Figure 10.

Power for the driving ofthe transverse conveyor 30 is derived from the turntable shifting motorv33 by means disclosed in Figure 2. Said means comprises the trans -mission case 34,-directly driven shaft 35` sprockets 36 and driving chain 37 7). The longitudinal conveyor 31 is driven by a suit-able motor ('no-t shown) which is wholly independent of the. other motors. In other Words, the longitudinal conveyor 31 may be moved wherever desired, without shifting the position of the loader.

A motor 38 drives a shaft 39 (Fig. 1) which carries al loose worm pinion 40 for raising and lowering the carriage 8. It also carries a loose worm pinion 41 which meshes with the worm sector 42, and is for the purpose of revolving the turntable 6 The object in thus revolving the turntable is to direct the shovel 14 toward the corners of the lead 2. The object in raising and lowering the carriage 8 is to direct the shovel into the material an retain its load when filled.

A rheostat 43 controls the speed of the motor 38. The direction of rotation of the shaft 39 is lgoverned bv the reversing switch 44. The generator G furnishes current. The worm pinion 40 meshes with ,a worm gear 45 on a shaft 46 which carries a worm pinion 47 in engagement with the quadrant 48. The quadrant is fixed on the carriage 8. The proper positioning of the rheostat 43 and switch 44, and the closure of the clutch ing the load) both switches 25 and 44 should again be reversed, repeating the foregoing operation. l i

A clutch 50 controls the operation of the worm pinion 41. YVhen the Alatter is made to turn, a movement of the turntable 6 inA respect to the sector 42, results. The sector is ixed, being yintegralwith the shaft 5l vwhich serves as the pivot for the turntable.

A ball -race 52 provides an adequate bearing for the turntable and its carried parts.

Provision is made for getting the shovel 14 more nearly in line with, a corner ofthe lead. There may be instances when the mere turning of the turntable 6 in orderto direct the shovel 14 into a corner, would be insufficient because of the inability to completely shovel up the material from an angle. In such an event, the entire mechanism from the turntable up, is moved laterally in respect to the truck 4. Figure 2 shows how this is done. l

y A slide 53 constitutes the base in which the shaft 51 is fixed by means of a key (Fig. 6). This slide has lateral tongues which occupy grooves 54 running crosswise of the' truck 4. Racks 55 and 56 beneath the slide, enable moving the latter toward the left and right respectively (looking forwardly).

Vhen the pinion 57 is clutched to the sha-ft 35, the slide 53 is made to move toward the left, following the direction of the". cross conveyor 30. When the gear 58 is clutched to the shaft 35, the reverse motion of the slide results. The gear 58 meshes with a gear 59 (Fig. 9) on a countershaft 60 which carries a gear 61 (Fig. 2) in turn engaging the rack 56. It is by the means last dlscribed that the whole apparatus from the slide 53 up, is capable of being moved laterally on the truck 4, withoutchanging the position of the latter.

The modification in Figure 2 differs mainly from the loader in Figure 1, b v the 'absence of acompound shovel beam and by a difference in the arrangement of the means for raising and lowering the shovel and swinging the turntable. numerals, but with the exponents a, are used to designate like parts appearing in Figure 1 and not referred to in connection with thev description of that figure. The shovel-operatingr motor .24ZL drivesl a counter shaft 62 continuously, through the gear train 19a, 20a., 63, 21, and 22. The gears 19 and 20 are on the far side. while the gears 63,21 and 22a are on the side nearest the observer in Figure 5. rlhe countershaft. 62 carries a gear 64 on the far side. precisely like the gear 22, and it is the gear 64 which meshes Like` reference with a pinionl 65 on the crank shaft 66. The

turning of the crank shaft lowers and raises the shovel 14a by rocking the carriage 8n on its bearings 7a.

Cranks 67 (Figs. 3, 5 and 6) have link Ltaeeo B connections 68 to ears 69 onv the carriage 8?. A clutch (when shifted) secures the pinion 6501i the crankshaft 66 so las torock the carriage v8a and raise or lower the shovel 14a, .dependingbn thedirection of rotation ofthe shaft of the shovel-operating motor 24a, A brake' 71'of any suitable type and carried by the shaft 66, is intended -to hold the shaft .when it has revolved 180o yfrom the position in Figure 5, at Vwhich time the shovel is elevated and the clutch 470 is disconnected from the pinion 65,.preparatory to the reversal of the lmotor 24a.

The direction of rotation of the motoris controlled by a reversing switch 25a (Fig. 2) andthe speed is controlled by the rheostatV 23'?. When the switch 25-L is in one position, the motor shaft turns in a counter clockwise direction, causingr `the projection of the shovel beam 9.a so that the shovel enters lthe material. Motion for the projection of the shovel is transmitted from the motor "24n through the pinion 19a, gear 20, pinion 63, gear 21a, pinion 72 (Fig. `8) and the gears 25 73 and l74 which are carried by the rack shaft 75, in turn mounted in bearings 76 beneath a frame part of-the carriage 8a.

The pinion 72 8) is made integral with the gear 21, and both are loose on the,

trunnion 7"L which, with its companion trunnion, rocks in bearings on the -turntable sides 6. The gear 74 meshes lvviththe rack 11a and when the motor shaft. revolves' in the counter clockwise direction, as stated above, the beam 9a is projected.

As the shovel enters the material and approaches what the operator may, regard asa sufficiently long stroke, the clutch 70 is thrown in so that the shovel is raised from the material with its load.' The brake 71 is then applied and the switch 25a is reversed so as to cause the motor shaft (motor 24a) to revolve in the clockwise direction 'and return the shovel beam 9a. The parts soon assume the position illustrated in Figure 4.

As soon as the trip 26a engages an abutment on the carriage 8a. the latch 28a is displaced from the luer 29a so that the front 'part of the shovel '14El swings downwardly and rearwardly on the pivot 15a to discharge the material on the cross conveyor 30a. The switch 25* is opened when the retracted position of the shovel (Fig. 4) is reached, and as soon as the load is discharged. the brake 7 1 is released to permit the shovel and beam to assume the original position. Figure 2 illustrates this position, but here the `shovel and beam are partly projected, the switch 25a having been thrown into the forward .I position.

Rollers 7 7 onv the carriage 8a, furnish bearingr support for the projecta-ble shovel beam 9H. The latter has lateral fianges 78 (Fig. 8) which bear on the rollers. The lowermost roller on the right side of the carriage (Fig. 4) furnishes the abutment (mentioned above) for the latch trip 26a. Y

pivot 15a, andi the back partv 81a which has its main support. between the adjusting yoke 82n `and the links 83a. 1 The latter are connected between the parts 14a and81a. an additional purpose of the links being to limit the downward swinging of the rear end of the front part- 14a, arrow a, (Fig. 4), so that the material may not spill over the exposed rightside of the cross conveyor 30a as it is discharged from the shovel.

A hand wheel 84 enables adjustments of ing edge may bejraised orlowered.v The hand wheel 84 lworks on a screw shaft 85 which extends upwardly from the yoke 82,

through a bearing 86 on the beam head 13a.

The modification in Figure 12 illustrates how the shovel may be operated by fluid pressure. Instead ofusing,r a beam and rack for the support and projection of the shovel,

Vthe shovel on the pivot 15a, so that the leadthe latter is now carriedby the rod 87 which has a piston 880m the rear end.v The piston moves in the inner cylinder 89. This cylinder has a piston head 9() at the rearend,

which lattermoves in theouter cylinder 91.

The piston head 90 does notadvance in its cylinder 91 until the piston 88 has ad'- vanced tothe limit of its stroke in theinner cylinder 89. The operation of projecting the shovel is like this: The valve 92Lis turned to the position illustrated in Figure 12,A so that fluid under pressure from a suitable reservoir enters the inner cylinder 89 hy -way of the pipe 98 and port 94. The left end of this port is covered by the rear wall o f the piston head 90. so that at this time, no fliiid can rQ etv behind the head 90.

Fluid having entered theinner cylinder v89, forces the piston 88 forwardly until the latter strikes the front end of the inner cylinder 89 with sufficient force to cause the rear wall of the head 90 to uncover the left end of the port 94. Pressure liuid continuing to enter, now occupies the space -behind the head 90. drivingt the. latter forwardly.

The forward extension of either the rod 87,4

or inner cylinder 89, may stop where the operator desires, and obviously ifthc pile of material is near enough for the shovel to reach it by the projection of vthe rod 87, the

inner cylinder 89 will not come into play as a further projector for the shovel.

Fluid ahead of the piston 88 escapes into i the outer cylinder 91 through the port 95 at haust ports95 and 96 become fluid inlet ports when the valve 92' is reversed/and on ',the other hand, the port-94 and pipe 93 will "become the means for conducting fluid out of the cylinders when the pistons 88 and 90 lmove to the left.

Suitablev packing boxes 97 and .9S at the ends of tli'e cylinders 89 and 91 respectively, insure tight joints-fer the moving parts.

They also act as' supports for the moving' parts within them. In its other respects, the loader in Figure l2 may be constructed and operated precisely like the loader either in Figures 1 and 2. and therefore the de,- scription of either of the latter, will suftice forthe remaining mechanism in Figure i9, of which description is omitted.

Thile the construction and arrangement of the improved loader as herein described and claimed is that ot a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim 1. A loader comprising a carriage, a table having bearings for supporting trunni ns on the carriage, mechanisnron the table for actuating a shovel beaml which is reciprocable in the carriage, and means on the cirriage for driving said mechanism through a gear on the axis of the trunnions to either reciprocate`the beam or rock thecarriage on its trunnions.

2. A loader comprising a table supporting a carriage in which a shovel 'beam is reciprocable, a. source of motive power carried by the carriage adapted to function to reciprocate the beam in the carriage, rock the carriage on the table and turn the table; and means causing the performance of said functions either singly or in combination.

3. A loader comprising a truck to be moved into a lead, guidesarranged transverselv of the truck. a slide which carries a shovel and its operating mechanism, supported by the guides; and rack and gear devices vfor shifting the slide on the guides so that the shovel may-be pointed directly into the corners of the lead.

4t. A loader comprising a table provided with trunnion bearings, a carriage having trunnions supported in said bearings, turnable means mounted on the table, and means by which the turnable means and the carriage are connected to rock the latter on the trunnions upon operation of the turnable means. 4

5. A loader comprising a table having a pair ot sides provided with trunnion bearings, a carriage situated in the space between the sides, means .forming trunnions by'whieh the carriage is supported in said bearings, turnable' means carried by the table7 and means providing an operating but movable connection between the carriage and said turnable means adaptedl to rock the carriage on its trunnions upon operation 'of said turnable means. y

6. A loader comprising a table haaing sideskprovided with trunnion bearings, a carriage having means to form trunnions mounted vin said bearing permitting a rocking motion of the carriage, a motor mounted on the carriage, a countershaft located on the table between the sides. gear connections hv which the countershaft is driven from the motor, a crank shaft vmounted on the table between the sides,`connections between the carriage and the cranks of said shafts adapted to rock the carriage upon operation of the crank shaft, a loose pinion on. the crank shaft in mesh with one of the aforesaid gear connections carried by the countershaft, and a clutch on the crank shaft for fastening the loose gear at will. f 7. A- loader comprising a table having trunnion bearings, a carriage having means providing trunnions by which the carriage is mounted on said bearings, a shaftV upon which the table is mounted to sw1ng,a gear sector carried by said shaft a motor on the carriage, a counter shaft `ony the table, driving connections betweenthe c'ountershaft and motor by which the tormer is rotated, a shaft on each side of the countershaftfmeans for driving one' shaft from the countershaft, means for then rocking said carriage through said driven shaft. means for driving the other shaft from the countershaft, and means in connec- `tion with the gear sector then causing the table and all of its carried parts to turn upon the sector shaft.

8. A loader comprising a carriage. means on the carrier forming trunnions. atable having hearings for supporting the trunnions, a shovel beam which is reciprocahle in the carriage, means carried b v the carriage. to reciprocate the beam` meanscarricd by both the. table and carriage to rock the carriage on its trunnions, means carried by the carriage from which driving power is derived. and means which has a loose mounting` on one of the, trunnions for. transmitting the driving power to either the reciprocating or rocking` means.

9. A loader comprising a carriage.. means on the carriage forming trunnions. a table having; bearings Jfor supporting' the trunnions.I a'shovel beam reciprocably mounted on the carriage. a rack carried by the beam, rack gears mounted on the carriage, crank shafts mounted on the. table. links connect- 

